Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Another dose of #Finpop 2025 with UMK and Eurovision twist. Kuunkuiskaajat (ESC 2010) are back together after nearly ten years apart while Aksel Kankaanranta who missed Eurovision due Covid-19 has released yet another new song as has home ground Eurovision 2007 star Hanna Pakarinen and finally UMK veteran Ilta belting out yet another beautiful ballad. Enjoy! Kuunkuiskaajat - Lemmenhuuto Aksel Kankaanranta - Mitä sanoisin Hanna Pakarinen - Rakenteet Ilta - Yksin et koskaan sä mee

The Eurovision 2024 wannabe host city Tampere that hosted already UMK2024 final isn't done with Eurovision yet. The arena will host a viewing party for Eurovision song contest 2024 on May 11, 2024.  But before the Eurovision final on mega screens there's a concert party with Eurovision winners Alexander Rybak and Emmelie De Forest  with Eurovision fan favorites Verka Serduchka and KEiiNO. And that's not all: local Eurovision stars Saara Aalto, Ami Aspelund, CatCat, Hanna Pakarinen, Marion Rung, Laura Voutilainen, Sara Siipola, Aksel Kankaanranta, Geir Rönning, Sandhja and Benjamin will join the fun by performing their respective entries.  This is first time something like this is organized in Finland in this magnitude. The ticket selling starts on February 26 and costs are from 39,60 to VIP tickets of 169,90. But where is Käärijä? And Lordi? Hopefully in Malmö! Can I already announce the Finnish jury votes come from there announced by Benjamin?

  Four new songs from #Finpop 2023 catalogue for your enjoyment, including Eurovision veteran Hanna Pakarinen: Frans Harku - Muukalainen Henna Uoti - Parantajat Hailio - Hei maailma Hanna Pakarinen - Täydellinen myrsky

 Today's dose of #Finpop2023! Including Eurovision veteran Hanna Pakarinen. Enjoy! Hanna Pakarinen - Elämä on elämää Anja Niskanen - Tanssi kanssain kuin tangoa Jukka Poika - Kesäilta Haidi - Mun New York

  New week, new sounds including the return of Hanna Pakarinen! Joanton - Vaikka joskus tuulee Vilma Alina - Usko, toivo, rakkaus Aste / EME - Mikä-mikä-maa Hanna Pakarinen - Vuoretkin murtuu

  Another dose of recent releases, including Eurovision veteran Hanna Pakarinen's comeback! Benjamin Enroth - Lupaan olla sinun Happoradio - Maalissa Hanna Pakarinen - Sun aika tulee vielä Lauri Tähkä - Keskiyön cowboy

When YLE's #UMK2021 jury announced it has selected the seven entries for the final they praised the quality and variety of the entries and even gave out clues of different kind of categories the submissions can be divided, one of them being old Eurovision participants, fans started speculating right away who could they be? This blogger included. But as they spoke about submissions we don't know if any of those were actually selected for the final.  On the other hand if one reads carefully one can note there are seven entries chosen, and they gave us six categories: Eurovision veteran, Emma award winning artist (or writer as they indeed didn't mention artists but submission by..... could be artists, writers, authors or producers), artists from hugely popular Vain elämää series, an export hope, energetic rock band and a hot name from the alternative music genre. Ok, one is missing and the extra slot could go to UMK2020 winner Aksel Kankaanranta after all?  Anyways, let...

Yle organized among its other consolation Eurovision 2020 programming also a voting to find out the most loved Finnish entries of each decade ( here ). And this is no surprise: Hard rock hallelujah!   When eveything else has been tried go over the top and just risk it full time. It paid off. The hell froze over and liberated Finns from the decades long trauma of "Finland zero points" and for a year or so everyone was an Eurovision and Lordi fan. Well, it didn't last long...... Once again Finns had to sit home thanks to poor results in 2001 and 2003 before that insanity was changed. Or rather semi-final introduced. 2006 Lordi - Hard rock hallelujah  63,3% 2002 Laura Voutilainen - Addicted to you  10,7% 2007 Hanna Pakarinen - Leave me alone  8,6% 2008 Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa   6,5% 2009 Waldo's People - Lose control  5.6% 2004 Jari Sillanpää - Takes 2 to tango   3,7% 2005 Geir Rönning - Why? 1,0% 2000 Nina Åstro...

Yle is going internal again in 2019 and it will be very curious to see who they choose (or get) after Saara Aalto - will they go for big international name or something big in Finland.  Or someone new and emerging? One of the big international names would surely be Sunrise Avenue or their front man Samu Haber solo. He has already flirted with Eurovision song contest back in 2007 when Forever yours was ment for Hanna Pakarinen. Later he ended up singing it with another Eurovision veteran Laura Voutilainen in Vain elämää series that made him known to most everyone, and kinda launched the idea of his solo career.  Sunrise Avenue is big(ger than in Finland actually) in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Their latest album topped the German album charts, as did their compilation album (and also in Switzerland). In Finland they have been regular top10 only. Their singles have charted also in Greece, Sweden and Belgium over the years.  Below are their biggest hits....

Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw's baby news have been widely published where he welcomes his perfect little superhero to the world - and to Eurovision 2038. Hanna Pakarinen simply states the pic includes the men of her life, thanking the Jorvi hospital's staff in Espoo. Congrats to both!

No more leave me alones as Eurovision 2007 veteran Hanna Pakarinen has published in her Youtube channel a video unboxing the Finnish state's maternity box aka layette set thus announcing she's due to have a baby later this spring. Congratulations!

  Finland celebrates its 100th year as an independent state and has ever since searched for its place in Europe and the world, between East and West. Sometimes with less success. As we speak in 1939 we were at war again with Soviet Union but - let's make a huge change of subject here -  since 1961 Finland has been taking part in the Eurovision song contest (and we also took part, and won twice, the copycat contest behind the Iron curtain, Intervision song contest). It may have taken awhile before we won, but it never stopped us taking part. EBU did, in those crazy 1990's-early 2000's. Let's look back in coming days as a countdown to the Big Day some of the most memorable and significant entries from Finland..... Monica Aspelund 's 1977 entry Lapponia is one of the most iconic Finnish entries, and one of those taking a large serving from the mythology with added flavor from Lapland. This is exotism we should have used more often, this blogger thinks. It...

Errr... Joci? Please explain... Svala, the lady in red Kristina, one happy lady in red! Vaclav superman Douwe the Bqb master  Dihaj the laundry master Imri the party boy (in Thailand) Claudia in Malta Pride (sadly not the Pride of Malta in ESC) Emma in Arena di Verona Francesca in Arena di Verona - who wears it better? Freddie in Croatia Hanna in Ketchikan, Alaska, honeymooning Michal in Vienna Naviband in Berlin Robin in Fuerteventura   Ilinca's Thursday face Isaiah's devilish face Nathan's angelic face Mr Lordi's new face drying off Last but not least, Serhat and Martha Wash! Now I'm curious.....

Freddie got restyled Gabbamania continues with the new single and video coming up Barei celebrates September ... as does Edurne Anouk not so much Musiqq makes most of it as does Poli (Cheers!) The Swedish stars are onto something as is Edsilia - one jazzy lady! Tereza... well, do we wanna know? Vaclav's got a brother Can they challenge togerher Iron man Amir? Or Guy? Kristina looks pretty and ready to sing while Lena is doing some product placement Lucie got married.... .. as did Hanna but Ott's cat is having done of it. You're not going anywhere!